Understanding den selection for the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) may provide insight into habitat requirements of the subspecies and assist in conservation and management efforts. With that goal, I assessed den selection of female Louisiana black bears at multiple spatial scales in northern and central Louisiana. I used 230 den-years to examine den type (tree or ground), microhabitat characteristics at dens, and effects of landscape characteristics on den selection. We also evaluated tree availability and reuse. Solitary and parturient females selected tree dens more frequently (65%) than ground dens. However, tree dens were not required for successful denning and reproduction. Ground dens were consistently located in upland habitat with dense understory. An evaluation of ground den locations relative to landscape composition and configuration indicated that ground dens were positively associated with proximity to water, greater proportions of water, and smaller patch sizes of water. Tree dens were predominantly located in baldcypress (86%) surrounded by water (80%), likely selected for the presence of a suitable cavity and were positively associated with proximity to edge and higher proportions of swamp and water habitat than surrounding areas. A survey of available tree dens indicated that densities of tree dens were comparable to other southeastern areas with sustainable bear populations, which suggested that tree den densities are likely adequate to support a population. Tree dens were associated with similar landscape characteristics across my northern and central study areas, which suggested that landscape variables may be used by managers to identify where tree dens should occur and may prioritize conservation efforts in these areas. Due to the variety of habitat types suitable for ground dens, it was not feasible to identify optimal habitat for ground dens based solely on variables that reflected land cover.

Wood residue produced by forest products industry has been recognized as a potential fuel that can generate energy to run the industry. A survey was done among forest products industry to get a general idea about energy produced from woody biomass created from forest industry in Louisiana, USA. The industry was classified into primary and secondary forest products industry. The study provided information regarding utilization and wastage of wood residue. Survey response rate was 25 percent. It addressed problems faced by wood residue energy development and came up with solution to solve them. When survey results were compared to previous survey, done in 1994, it clearly showed an increase in production and utilization of wood residue. One more thing worth noting was the reduction in number of secondary forest products industry. The study estimated a production 15,076,937 tons of wood residue by the forest product industry. Results showed that majority of wood being produced in the industry went un-utilized. In primary forest products industry most respondent used their residue in energy production. But in secondary sector, residue was not utilized. Residue of secondary forest product industry such as wood chips and shavings were used in various sectors. Some of them were bedding for horse farms, mulching, for erosion control in canals and as fuel in furnaces. But nearly ninety percent of residue went to landfills. By contrast, there were industries which had a great demand for wood residue as a fuel. We discovered a need for better communication between producers and utilizers. This study also produced an interactive online directory, from which industry needing wood residue can contact producers. One major reason for non-utilization of wood residue in secondary sector was due to comparatively small production that was distributed widely across the state. Cost of transportation restricted them from being a viable option. Lack of information about producers and consumers also played a role.

Site preparation after clearcuts directly affects surrounding small mammal populations. Differences in bed row spacing and arrangement of debris can impact structure and composition of vegetation communities, which influence small mammal habitat. We surveyed vegetation and small mammals in 2 different row spacings (14 ft and 20 ft) and 2 different debris distributions (piled and scattered) in 4 clearcuts owned by Weyerhaeuser in Louisiana during 2006-2007. Our objectives were to examine effects of row spacing and debris distribution on vegetation, to look at responses of small mammal densities to row spacing and debris distribution, and to see how small mammals responded to resulting vegetation. Study areas included 2 clearcuts in north Louisiana and 2 in south Louisiana. All study areas were newly harvested loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations. Sampling techniques in the field included vegetation surveys and live trapping of small mammals. General trends included the following: vegetation responses to treatments were overall uniform throughout treatments. In year 2, grass, forbs, and woody vegetation proliferated in both row spacings and debris arrangements. Vines grew in predominantly in 20 ft spacing. Small mammal responses to treatments depended on species examined. Peromyscus spp. favored all study areas irrespective of treatment. House mouse (Mus musculus) used mostly 14 ft spacings and the combination of 20 ft spacing with piled debris. Cotton rat used both spacings and preferred piled debris. Small mammals responded to changes in vegetation as succession progressed. Woody vegetation, grass, forbs, and vines were important predictors in habitat selection. Both row spacings and debris arrangements in this study benefited small mammals. Future research could examine later successional stages and how wildlife adapt to changing vegetation.

The overall goal of coastal wetland restoration is to achieve ecological equivalence through the reproduction of structural and functional characteristics. This study sought to examine ecological equivalence using a chronosequence of temporal replicates of created marshes using traditional structural measures of equivalence and tested the use of stable isotopes as a measure of functional equivalence. The objectives of this study were to: (1) compare measures of structural equivalence at created and reference marshes; (2) use stable isotope analysis of blue crab muscle and hepatopancreas tissues to compare functional equivalence at created and reference marshes; and (3) determine if there is any age effect indicative of marsh development trajectories. The study was carried out at four marshes created with dredged material (524 years old) that were each paired with adjacent reference marshes on the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana during the spring and fall of 2007. At each marsh, quantitative measures of structural equivalence and functional equivalence were collected. Paired contrasts indicated that created and reference marshes supported equivalent plant and nekton populations, but differed in soil characteristics. Specifically, created marshes had consistently lower soil organic matter compared to reference marshes with no apparent age effect. A laboratory study was conducted in order to determine blue crab tissue specific isotope turnover rates. The hepatopancreas tissue had a half-life of approximately 10 days while the muscle tissue had a half-life of approximately 22-39 days. Comparison of mean hepatopancreas and muscle δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope values found that the blue crabs at the youngest created marsh (5 yrs.) occupy the lowest trophic position compared to all other marshes. Overall, the results indicate that while vegetation and nekton community characteristics suggest that structural equivalency is achieved relatively rapidly (< 5yrs), functional equivalence, as measured by trophic support, may take longer to occur (> 8 years). Stable isotope techniques may give coastal managers an important tool to investigate the complex trophic connections within these estuarine food webs and to determine if and when these marshes will achieve functional equivalence.

Consistently high market demand combined with low commercial catches have made Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, one of the highest valued finfish from the Gulf of Mexico. Economic incentive has spurred interest in pompano culture since the 1950s, yet the body of nutritional research on pompano is still sparse. This study was conducted to measure the apparent digestibility of nutrients among a selection of common feed ingredients, and determine the optimum dietary protein level for juvenile Florida pompano at a fixed protein-to-energy ratio, in order to formulate nutritionally complete, cost-effective diets. The four ingredients tested in the digestibility trial were soybean meal (SM), meat and bone meal (MB), fish meal (FM), and corn grain (CG). Apparent energy digestibility (AED) was similar for SM (67.4 ± 0.8 %) and MB (65.7 ± 8.2 %), while FM was significantly higher (105.1 ± 5.4 %), and CG was significantly lower (41.4 ± 0.5 %). Apparent crude protein digestibility (ACPD) varied by ingredient: SM (84.3 ± 0.5 %), MB (62.4 ± 6.1 %), FM (95.3 ± 1.9 %), and CG (71.4 ± 1.0 %). The apparent amino acid availability (AAAA) ranges mirrored the ACPD values: SM (78.4 ± 2.2 96.5 ± 1.0 %), MB (48.1 ± 9.5 84.7 ± 3.8 %), FM (89.0 ± 7.9 109.1 ± 14.6 %), and CG (40.0 ± 3.9 85.0 ± 0.4 %). In addition to AED and ACPD, AAAA values provide a previously unreported measure of the growth-promoting value of each ingredient for Florida pompano. The second experiment was a growth trial that examined the growth effects of six dietary protein levels (36% - 56% CP) at a fixed digestible energy-to-protein ratio (9 kcal DE/g CP). Survival was poor throughout the experiment, which led to termination of the 36% CP treatment by week six. Fish growth performance during the remaining five treatments produced significantly higher weight gain for the 48% and 56% CP treatments than the 40% CP treatment. Broken-line regression indicated an ideal protein level of about 46% CP for Florida pompano diets containing 9 kcal DE/g CP.

Coastal Louisiana marshes are eroding at a rate equivalent to one football field every thirty minutes. It is vital to understand the perceptions of the American public regarding this issue. I conducted a self-administered mail survey during the spring of 2006. The survey was sent to 4,500 residents living in the Mississippi River Valley. The survey was used to identify respondents environmental value orientations, assess respondents attitudes with regards to support for restoration funding for Louisianas coastal wetlands, and to determine if outside moderating effects occurred to make respondents with specific value orientations (Anthropocentric or Biocentric) more likely to support restoration funding. The moderating effects examined in this study included knowledge of Louisianas coastal wetlands, respondents gender, and respondents level of education. Respondents in this study expressed positive attitudes toward coastal wetland protection. Value orientation had a significant contribution to perceptions of federal funding for coastal restoration. Biocentric individuals are more than four times as likely to support increased funding for coastal restoration. Knowledge and understanding of the coastal wetlands appeared to be lacking among respondent. Biocentric respondents with low knowledge scores were twice as likely to support restoration as Anthropocentric respondents with low knowledge scores. Individuals with a high score on the knowledge scale were more likely to state that current funding levels were too low regardless of value orientation. Biocentric Individuals with low knowledge scores exhibited support for funding. This positive support was amplified with increased knowledge. Anthropocentric individuals with low knowledge scores exhibited negative support for funding. The direction of support was reversed with increased knowledge. Biocentric (66.9%) and Anthropocentric (45.8%) males were more likely to support funding than Biocentric (57.9%) and Anthropocentric females (45.8%). I also found that as level of education increased, from less than high school to individuals with a graduate/professional degree, the likelihood to support restoration also increased for Biocentric individuals. This study suggests that managers need to understand how value orientations are contributing to stakeholder opposition or support for restoration programs. It also provides evidence for the importance of education and outreach programs.

Rice straw fiber can be considered as important potential reinforcing filler for thermoplastic composite because of its lignocellulosic characteristics. It is thus of practical significance to understand and predict the thermal decomposition process of rice straw fibers. A method proposed by Málek, esták, and co-workers was used to investigate and model thermal decomposition process of common natural fibers with detailed analysis on rice straw system. Assuming a global model occurring within the entire degradation of natural fibers with consideration of fiber as one pseudo-component, model can be used to describe both isothermal and non-isothermal degradation process of most selected fibers within acceptable error limits of 3 and 5%, respectively. The parameters of kinetic model were given in this dissertation. The model obtained has practical significance for introducing straw fiber into some engineering plastics with comparatively lower melting temperature. Influences of different rice straw components, and compatibilizers on various properties of rice-straw based polymer composites were also investigated. Rice straw fibers can work well with both VHDPE and RHDPE as reinforcing filler. Also, different components of rice straw had no significant influence on mechanical properties of composites. The PE-g-MA/EPR ratio affected mechanical properties of composites modified by combined compatibilizers. The optimum PE-g-MA/EPR ratio was considered to be 2:1 and 1:1 for PE-g-MA/uEPR and PE-g-MA/EPR-g-MA modified composites, respectively. At the optimum ratio, composites modified by combined compatibilizers showed better strength and impact toughness, and acceptable modulus compared to those modified by either EPR or EPR-g-MA. It was found that 13% weight loss seemed to be the limit for rice straw to maintain its strength in a composite system. High-temperature one-step extrusion was feasible for manufacturing HDPE/nylon-6/rice-straw composites without significant strength loss caused by thermal degradation of fiber. The two-step method failed to exhibit better performance than the one-step method.

The delay in early height growth (EHG) has been a limiting factor for artificial regeneration of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers have been used to map the genome and quantitative trait loci controlling the EHG in a backcross family (longleaf pine x slash pine) x longleaf pine. A total of 228 locus specific SSR markers were screened against 6 longleaf pine recurrent parents and a sample of 7 longlef x slash pine hybrid parents. In total, 135 polymorphic markers were identified. Based on the genetic variance in EHG, available sample size, and the number of SSR marker polymorphisms, a half-sib family with a common paternal parent (Derr488) and 6 longleaf maternal parents were selected from 27 backcross families as the final mapping population. One hundred and twenty three (123) polymorphic markers showed polymorphisms across the half-sib family. An individual linkage map was built for each full-sib family first, and then the linkage maps from different full-sib families were integrated by common orthologous SSR markers with software JoinMap (ver3.0). There were 112 polymorphic markers mapped to the integrated map which contained 16 linkage groups. The observed map length was 1874.3 cM and covered 79.85% of genome. The estimated 95% confidence interval for genome length was 1781.3-2411.6 cM. Seventeen (17) QTLs were identified by single marker regression using 305 backcross progenies. For the interval mapping, the tallest and shortest 8 percent of seedlings were selected for QTL detection (phase I), and then random selections of 8 percent of the seedlings from the rest of the population and 25 seedlings from both tails of the within family distributions were used for unbiased QTL verification and mapping (phase II). Nine QTLs were detected and verified as associated with the 5 growth traits under P=0.05 chromosome-wide threshold. There was only weak evidence of QTL stability during the three years of growth under this study.

White-tailed deer are an important economic and recreational resource in Louisiana. A basic understanding of population dynamics is essential to ensure sound management, but baseline information in Louisiana is lacking. Likewise, the notion of Quality Deer Management (QDM) continues to gain momentum in Louisiana. Our objectives were to evaluate space use, survival, and mortality for a deer herd managed under a QDM regime in south Louisiana. We captured 65 deer in West Baton Rouge and Iberville Parishes during 2007 and 2008, radio-marked 37 males and 11 females, and ear-marked an additional 10 males and 7 females. Home ranges (95%) for adult males during spring, summer, and fall were 153.9, 70.4, and 118.0 ha, respectively and were 119% and 68% larger during spring and fall than summer. Female home ranges were 67.3, 53.9, and 25.2 ha during spring, summer, and fall, respectively. Juvenile (1.5 yr-old) males increased space use 169% in spring (231.6 ha) relative to summer (86.1 ha), and maintained 50% larger home ranges than adults in spring. Survival estimates for adult males during spring, summer, and fall were 100, 95, and 55%, respectively. Mean annual survival for adult males was 53%. No mortalities were observed in spring or summer for 1.5 yr-old males, but ear-tag returns and harvest records indicated 1.5 yr-old males were being harvested at a rate approaching 20%. Mean annual mortality rates from harvest (40%) were greater than for non-harvest sources of mortality (16%). Non-hunting mortality included both natural causes (9%) and deer-vehicle-collisions (9%). We observed smaller home ranges than anticipated or seen previously, suggesting that landowners managing small (<300 ha) tracts of property may be able to practice QDM at scales thought to be ineffective at improving herd dynamics. Due to low non-hunting mortality, young males (&le;2.5-yr) are likely to survive to the next age class if protected from harvest, but ultimately have a small chance of reaching maturity (5.5+) because males are generally harvested as they approach the antler restriction in place. Managers should seek to increase fall survival for males if management objectives include increasing the frequency of harvesting males &ge;3.5 yrs-old.

Populations of many North American secretive marsh birds (SMBs) have declined over the past 30 years, primarily as a function of wetland loss. Ranges for many of these species encompass Louisiana and researchers have investigated various characteristics associated with breeding populations in coastal wetlands, yet similar knowledge is lacking for other parts of the state. I investigated distributions and habitat characteristics associated with breeding SMBs in wetlands and rice fields of the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) of northeast Louisiana. In the 2007 and 2008 breeding seasons we conducted repeated bird surveys in 118 wetlands and 76 rice fields. Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus), Least Bitterns (Ixobrychus exilis) and Purple Gallinules (Porphyrula martinica), were the most commonly detected species in wetlands while breeding King Rails (Rallus elegans) and American Coots (Fulica americana) were rare. I built predictive wetland habitat models for Common Moorhens, Least Bitterns and Purple Gallinules in each year based on vegetation characteristics recorded within 100 m (local) and 1 km (landscape) of wetland sampling points. In general, local areas with greater coverage of water and robust emergent vegetation seem to attract breeding SMBs. No other local upland habitat characteristics or landscape cover variables were consistently, significantly associated with occupancy for any species across years. Wetlands dominated by robust emergent vegetation are rare in this region and birds may have to utilize them wherever they are available, disregarding other local and landscape habitat features. In 2007 no breeding individuals from any of these species were encountered in rice fields and only 7 rice sites were occupied by any species in 2008. Rice in the MAV does not reach a height adequate to support breeding SMBs (~ 65-70 cm) until late May at the earliest, 1-2 months after the breeding season commences. However, King Rails, Least Bitterns, Common Moorhens and American Coots were all observed in rice fields between June and August of both years. Thus, it is possible that rice fields in the MAV are used by late season breeders or birds rearing a second brood.